Why Are There So Many Cheapskates On Webmaster Forums?

Have you been living under a rock for the past 4 years? lol.. People get cheaper as time goes on. 2012 should be interesting.

....also... with a price as low as $1, maybe people are wondering if there is any value in it whatsoever. If the seller thinks it's only worth $1, I could probably find the same if not better info for free. Buyers seem to love the number 7... $27, $37, $277, etc. Just a thought.

I bolded your problem

I can guarantee that you will get some purchases if you advertise something for $1 in the WSO section.

I would absolutely list it as a dimesale listing in the WSO section

Cheers

I hate to state the obvious, but... it's not the buyers, it's YOU.

You set the price for your product, no one else.

Remember that TIME is a problem for everyone. If I want to learn something, I'll pay $997 for the product, realizing that I need to invest TIME to get anything from the product. $997 doesn't worry me, TIME does.

If a product is a dollar, so what? You're still asking people to invest the time in reading/ using your product. And everyone's time is worth something, whether it's $20 an hour or $200 an hour.

So, price your products with the cost of your buyers' time in mind.

No one's time is free. What makes your product worth a buyer's time? Answer that, and you can charge whatever you like...

Just make your products worth your buyers' time.

Angela

That's EASY! Because they don't make any MONEY!

Maybe your sales copy needs improving if your having a hard time selling a $1 ebook.

Two words - perceived value.

I've seen five page reports sell for $97 with tons of happy buyers, and 100 page reports for $9 with tons of refunds.

Simple. We live in a something for nothing age. And it looks like it is here to stay. Also, do not listen to the cheapskates.

$1 ebook is not worth anyone's time. What valuable information should it present to the reader if it is worth only $1??

Daniel

lol ... now that's cheap

Obviously the wrong target audience, so why waste your time?

For a buyer there is a vast difference between FREE and $1.

However, there is almost no difference between $1 and $30.

Once you figure how to sell for $1 increase the price. :-)

I'm going to spin this around and suggest that if you insist on undervaluing your own time and work to the point that you're prepared to endure the struggle of selling a $1 product, it could be you who is the cheapskate ... ? :p

Don't get me wrong, $1 products are fine if, say, you're using them as a means of building a list of buyers (as opposed to freebie-seekers), if that's what you're doing, but beyond that I can't think of many situations in which a $1 price-tag would seem appropriate.

The whole "perceived value" deal is quite right. Undercutting your competition with a lower-than-low price isn't necessarily going to help you sell more if a competitor's product still seems like the better, more suitable and most valuable option.

Do you always buy the cheapest? I don't, precisely because I'm not a cheapskate. In fact I'm terribly sceptical about anything too cheap: I'll often want to know that the item is capable of selling, is currently selling, or has sold healthily at a higher price and others were perfectly happy having paid that. It's not that I'm unwilling to risk $1 on what might be a wasted purchase, it's the principle. The world is full of cheap, unsightly, useless crap (can anyone say Ikea? LOL!) and I'd like to see less of it and more stuff that's actually worthwhile. So call me a snob and sue me. I don't want to be part of the throwaway culture of people who don't care for their possessions and go fly-tipping on a weekly basis to relieve themselves of all the worthless crap they've accumulated. :p

When I walk past a pound shop (or dollar store), that's exactly what I normally do. I walk right past, because in 99% of cases whatever no-brand (or cheap brand) nonsense they're selling will last about 1/10th the time of that sold a few doors along, if it'd even be fit for purpose to begin with.

There are exceptions both ways, of course, but in my opinion and experience they are precisely exceptions. Those with something of real quality to offer will not be so quick to undermine their own skills, time, effort and reputation, and won't typically be aiming for the low end of a market, anyway.

Search the forums and it won't take you long to find experiences of marketers whose conversion-rates skyrocketed after they increased their prices.

Anyway, the point I'm making isn't that you should necessarily increase your price; it's simply that people's reluctance to buy something cheap isn't necessarily an indication of their being cheapskates. Sometimes quite the opposite.

People are cheap and as good as your eBook may be people just see them as pure crap these days... it's the truth.

I say you give it away for free but setup a form where those interested have to submit a good usable email address to get it. That way you can build up a good list to start pushing other things to... I don't know, good luck man

This discussion reminds of my teenage years at the dance... Every girl that refused my advances was either a snob or lesbian.

Maybe, just maybe they are not interested in your product?

Why don't you give it away to build a list?

At $1, you've priced your product perfectly to attract cheapskates

I surveyed some people a couple weeks ago about what they would pay for a certain product. I had almost half the people say they would not buy / would not pay for the information even if it was information they needed to solve a specific problem they were having.
I was discouraged, until I looked at my results again and realized that 50% of the people I surveyed said they were perfectly happy to pay, and many of them were even willing to buy an ongoing subscription to access the information.

You gotta get at the right people. I don't think the price is quite as big of an issue if you have the right product for the right person at the right time. In most cases I'd go much higher than your $1 price.

It's unfortunate that selling eBooks is not as easy as it used to be, everybody wants a review copy, and things for free, it's unfortunate it has come to that, but the only way is quality products vouched for by respected members of said forums

Try giving them some of the info for free and add an option to buy the full ebook. If your readers think it is worth it they will buy it if not they wont

Terrible isn't it--contact the webmaster.

Go for quality and not quantity.

Maybe you should ask for more than 1$. You have to request more money in order to get it. I think that you have worked a lot on that ebook. Is your work only worth 1$?

I think you need to decide what the purpose of the book is. Are you trying to make a profit or build a list? If it's list building you're after, price it at the average WSO price and put it in the WSO section. Then, invite affiliates to promote it for 100% commissions.

$1 price is just not right- unless its a 7 day trial for a more in-depth product, or perhaps a membership of some sort. It doesn't convey the right value of the product- which should be priced modestly, but higher- indicating its worth. Either that, or give it away on your squeeze page- where you SELL it as very valuable in itself, its your very valuable BONUS for them to- check out your other: products, newsletter, website, what have you. Then put a lot of effort into THAT sales copy, too. I think the idea of people's time being so valuable is spot on. I've seen many very successful (and VERY long!) sales pages, tremendous effort put in, to sell the person on just signing up to get a FREE product. Then you are "caught" in the sales funnel, where more effort is put in , with free email mini courses, etc. It may take a few steps to build that relationship, before your prospect is warmed up enough to make that purchase. Just my thoughts on it.